Leïla is ashamed to have been “duped” so easily. This young thirty-something, complexed by the shape of her buttocks, gave in in April 2021 to the fashion for injections with hyaluronic acid, particularly popular with stars and influencers. But attracted by the slashed prices offered by pseudo-specialists in remodeling, via Instagram accounts, the young woman now finds herself “mutilated”.
“I thought I was dealing with a real doctor. This woman posted her diplomas on her account. So I made an appointment for injections. And a few weeks later, balls appeared. It was horrible and painful. Quickly, I understood that I had fallen on a false injector, which was in no way a doctor, nor qualified, ”says Leïla.
The young woman tries to contact the injector, who will not be of any help. She finally goes to the emergency room at the hospital and discovers that the balls that have appeared are infected abscesses. There is a risk of sepsis. “The doctors took care of me right away and operated on me. I might have died from a blood infection. When I contacted the woman who did this to me once more, she completely blocked me, ”continues Leïla.
Like her, hundreds of victims have been fooled by these Instagram accounts which offer wild injections of hyaluronic acid, often in apartments, without any respect for hygiene rules. Faced with attractive prices, often two times cheaper than those charged by real specialists, young girls complexed by their mouth, their nose or their buttocks, take the plunge.
Without knowing, most of the time, that these injections should only be performed by real doctors. And certainly not by people posing as beauty experts or beauticians.
“The fake injectors know nothing regarding anatomy”
“Since 2017, we have seen hundreds of illegal injector accounts blooming on Instagram, people who sometimes practice at home, in their kitchen, living room or bedroom. And sometimes beauticians in beauty salons. What you need to understand is when you put a needle of hyaluronic acid in the hands of someone who does not know anything regarding anatomy, it is like giving them a scalpel to open a tummy for surgery. There can be catastrophes ”, explains Doctor Adel Louafi, president of the national union of reconstructive and aesthetic plastic surgery, who affirms to see unloading in his office more and more victims mutilated by these“ fake injectors ”.
“Unfortunately for some, we can’t make up for the damage. Victims have been seen with necrotic part of the nose or lips. And there, we have no other choice but to amputate, ”laments the cosmetic surgeon. Faced with the boom in this hidden activity, the national union of reconstructive and aesthetic plastic surgery launched, for the first time, a call for a national mobilization. During a press conference organized on Thursday, the union asked the health authorities to take up the subject. “We appeal to the public authorities. These practices, which appeared in 2018, anecdotally, are exploding. It is a question of public health which must be put on the table and taken seriously by the regional health agencies, the order of pharmacists, the repression of fraud and the drug agency ”, continues Dr. Louafi.
The union has also announced that it is associated with the complaints of the victims. “We want to convince the victims of these acts of mutilation to take legal action. Because often, they do not dare to do it, for fear of reprisals, also out of shame, ”he says.
Leïla, she will take legal action. “Part of my family does not know what happened to me. I’m very ashamed. But today I have holes in my body. And maybe I’ll keep them for the rest of my life. However, the woman who did this to me continues to practice freely at home and risks making other victims. I want to fight for her to be arrested and tried ”.
